Pressure sensitive adhesives (PSA) are convenient and often used for tapes and labels, and for mounting adhesive articles containing graphic images to a substrate such as a wall or vehicle. The popularity of pressure sensitive adhesives can be attributed to the strong adhesive bonds that are formed quickly, and their general ease-of-use. Unfortunately, the applicator of pressure sensitive adhesive articles must be careful to minimize or eliminate the trapping of air or liquid between the adhesive surface of the adhesive article and the substrate to which the article is applied. It is desirable to avoid the formation of visible bubbles or wrinkles in the adhesive article. The initial tenacity of the pressure sensitive adhesive requires careful positioning at the onset of an application. That is, the applicator typically gets a single opportunity to correctly position the film, label or tape before the article is firmly adhered to the substrate. This can be problematic for the applicator, and the problem is magnified when the adhesive article is large or the substrate to which the article is applied is not particularly flat or easily accessible.
It is desirable that the adhesive article provides air egress, i.e., the ability of the adhesive article to provide a route for air or liquid trapped between the adhesive article and the underlying substrate to be removed. In addition to the size of the adhesive article affecting ease of application, the application conditions can also impact the ease of application. For example, inclement weather can inhibit the use of pressure sensitive adhesive articles. Even a light rain can preclude outdoor application as the rain may form a barrier between the adhesive article and the substrate surface.
Repositionability and slideability are the abilities of an article having a pressure sensitive adhesive to be contacted or temporarily mounted to a substrate surface, moved into a proper and desirable position, and then secured into place. It is advantageous to have improved repositionability and slideability in many applications involving pressure sensitive adhesives.
It would be desirable to have an adhesive article having improved properties, including air egress, and optionally, repositionability, and/or slideability and a method for making the same.